Imagine waking up in the morning and finding your website SEO ranking has plummeted from page 1 to page 8 or lower. A new SEO ranking factor could mean just that. Google’s new mobile friendly algorithm launched on April 21st 2015 and it carried with it important consequences for the SEO ranking of your website.
In a blog post, Google stated that from April 21st 2015 there will be increased weight given to the mobile-friendly ability of sites:
“This change will affect mobile searches in all languages worldwide and will have a significant impact in our search results. Consequently, users will find it easier to get relevant, high quality search results that are optimised for their devices.”
Over a year has since gone by but there are still companies who have not caught up with mobile.
Why are mobile friendly websites a big deal?
Well, it’s easier for mobile users to access a mobile friendly or mobile responsive website. Have you ever clicked on a site through your smartphone or tablet and many seconds later, you’re still waiting for the page to appear? How frustrating. Google wants to make that frustration disappear! You now need to get mobile friendly and get Google on your side if you want to perform well in their rankings.
Check your mobile-friendliness
- Search your website on Google. If it has a “mobile friendly” label (which Google began to use in November 2014) it’s all good.
- Carry out this simple test that gauges how mobile friendly your website is.
- Keep an eye on your Google Webmaster Tools Mobile Usability reports and look for errors. This isn’t real time information, so it will take approximately a few weeks to get up to date.
- Prevention is better than taking steps to claw back your rankings. Comit can make sure you’re prepared.
What can hamper your website’s mobility?
- Software that is not easy to access on mobile devices, like Flash
- Text you need to zoom in on, before being able to read it
- Content on a website that is too big or the wrong size for a mobile screen
Time to make it mobile
Mobile has already become a priority for many businesses and if your business’s website isn’t mobile, it’s time to make it so. Why?
- Your website will perform better on Google search
- Customers will be able to access your website more easily across more devices
- 80% of marketers who use mobile believe it does (or will) increase ROI
- 30% of marketers use location-based technology as part of their marketing strategy
- At 50%, B2B companies are more likely to have a mobile website
If you would like any more information on how to improve SEO for your business please feel free to contact us.